Yemen president regrets USA, Israel comments

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Wednesday called a senior White House official to express regret for his criticism of Israel and the United States over the Arab revolts.

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Wednesday called a senior White House official to express regret for his criticism of Israel and the United States over the Arab revolts, officials said. According to AFP, the Yemeni leader called President Barack Obama's top anti-terrorism advisor, John Brennan, a day after he described the Arab uprisings as an Israeli plot backed by Washington.

"President Saleh called assistant to the president, John Brennan, this morning to convey his regret for misunderstandings related to his public remarks that Israel and the United States have engaged in destabilizing activities in Arab countries," the White House said in a statement.

"President Saleh also said that he is firmly committed to meaningful political reform in Yemen and that he is reaching out to opposition elements in an effort to achieve reform through a democratic, inclusive, and peaceful process.

"Mr Brennan expressed appreciation for the call and said that any comments that seek to attribute blame for recent developments in the region are unhelpful, as they ignore the legitimate aspirations of people in the Arab world."